I’d keep him and develop, I was a big hater of him but he really improved within the season. However, if Kawhi was available and the Spurs demanded the ZACHammer back, I’m not gonna say no.
Keep in mind saying who you would trade a YOUNG player for is not saying that they are equal in talent at this point in time. In Portland's case if they like Zach's potential and have little alternatives on the team now at PF then they better get someone in return who is as good as what they think Zach will turn into in 3-4 years, or better. But they certainly can't trade him for a player who is comparable to him now. That would be stupid. Either way they would need to package Zach if they wanted to trade him. One for one is not going to happen. But in the right situation he could be very good. Standing at the 3 point line however is a waste of his talent.
I think is value his decent but really hard to pin down. He's probably worth a lot more to us than to someone else. He has shown great instincts and flashes a high ceiling. Unfortunately, he desperately needs to add size and improve his skill level. No one is going to give us an early lottery pick for him, and the Blazers aren't going to trade him for an inferior prospect + something else. That basically leaves borderline playoff teams looking to unload their decent pieces to reset as destinations. And the Blazers can't really afford to trade him for decent pieces. We need another borderline all star talent. I'd say his current value is around the same pick he was drafted at, possibly a tad lower.
I think Zack has proven his draft position, because of the poise, mentality, and the diverse skill set he has exhibited at his young age. Zack also got better throughout the season. When people do re-rankings of his draft a few years from now, he'll move up several spots.
I think Zach has a bright future, but he has not proven himself yet. He does show signs of great things to come, but nothing consistently. This year I was disappointed in his rebounding % and his shot blocking numbers. I hoped those would be two things he could do right away. I liked his spacing on the court and his no-hesitation release on his shots, but most of his value lies in the future.
Zack will attack the hoop more next year! He's the kind of player that once he sync's his confidence, skill, and relentless ability to score down low, watch out. You can see that he's discovering ways and pushing himself which is what I really like about the kid.
with the salary cap situation we have we need serviceable rookie's on rookie pay scales...Zach is that...so are Baldwin and Swanigan....this is not where I'm looking to move players...you develop these guys in my view. Nobody is taking our rookies for Kawhi Leonard anytime soon.
I think POP would go for a Kawahi / CJ trade. I think CJ is the kind of player and personality that would mix well with POP.
